What is a.....?

Question

Sonata, Adagio,Concerto,Canon? What would I look for for unacompanied Violin and Cello music with melodic soothing tempo's? Piece suggestion?

clarification -
unacompanied violin suggestion's ?
" cello " ?
Not to imply the two in struments together.

Answer 1

Long answer

Sonata is either a form that has 2 themes development and recap. or a form of a piece that has 3-5 movements. Most are 4. Fast (Sonata form) Slow (Adagio) Dance (Minute) Fast (Sonata or Rondo) Beethoven wrote some great sonatas for both violin and cello

Adagio Is usually a slow melodic movement where the melody is changed bur comes back in the true form. (Adagio for strings Barber)

Concerto is where a solo instrument is accompanied by a larger ensemble. The solo instrument will show a lot of flash and will have times where it plays by itself. Just goggle concerto for more info. Dvorak Cello concerto is considered the best. take your pick of the 1000's of violin concertos

Cannon is a repeated bass line. The bass line just does the same thing over and over again. Cannon in D by Pachelbel

Unaccompanied pieces for Violin and Cell you have to go with the Bach suites. Just the best.

To here any of these check out your local symphony orchestra. They usually have free concerts at parks during the summer

Answer 2

A cannon is a weapon. A canon is a musical form. It is not variations over a bass line--that is a chaccone or passacaglia. A canon is a "round" in which a melody starts several times during the piece, after delays. An example is "Row, row, row your boat". See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_%28music%29

Pachelbel's Canon combines elements of both canon and passacaglia. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_in_d

A concerto is a piece for solo instrument and orchestra. It typically consists of three movements, the first being in sonata form (see below) with allegro (moderately fast) tempo, usually called "sonata-allegro". The first movement ends with a dramatic climax. The second movement is slow and with a simpler form. The third movement can have a variety of forms (rondo is traditional), but ends with a sense of completeness and satifaction (not necessarily happy).
None of these rules is hard-and-fast, and you can find exceptions to every one even in the standard repertoire (Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, etc.) Modern composers take even more liberties.

The sonata form is an extended musical form that is broadly defined. The essential element is that it has three parts: exposition, development and recapitulation. Exposition is a straightforward presentation of one or more themes (usually two, but not always) in different key and character (fast vs slow,e.g.), the development section may include variations on these themes, or parts of them, or introduce new ones, but the main thing is that it is "unsettled" and builds up tension. The development buildup leads to a satisfying conclusion when the first themes are brought back (recapitulation). There are many more formal rules, but they are not strict.

A sonata (piece) is a composition for solo instrument that is the same form as a concerto but accompanied by piano instead of orchestra. A piano sonata is played without other instruments.

Adagio is a slow tempo (not as slow as lento, but slower than andante).

For unaccompanied cello, you can't do better than the suites by Bach.

Answer 3

Get one of these:

Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music and Musicians:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=186635&item=4983571

Sonata, Concerto and Canon are forms; Adagio is a tempo indication. All three forms would take many paragraphs to explain.

Unaccompanied work for violin:
Bach: Sonatas & Partitas for unaccompanied violin
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=186635&item=4295285

Unaccompanied work for cello:
Bach: Cello Suites
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/a/item.html?id=186635&item=961174

I know of no works which are unaccompanied for *both* violin and cello because then, by definition, the work would not be "unaccompanied."